Sports Extra

NEW YORK – The NFL promoted Alberto Riveron, the league’s first Hispanic referee, to senior director of officiating.

Riveron was born in Cuba and moved to Miami with his family at age 5. He became a referee in 2008 after serving four seasons as a side judge. The 52-year-old Riveron takes the newly created position as second in command of the department under new vice president of officiating Dean Blandino.

In his new job, Riveron will oversee the NFL’s instant replay program and assist Blandino in assignment and evaluation of officials and developing and distributing weekly training videos and other materials to improve accuracy and consistency.

CFL

Montreal looks to Colorado for its next head coach

MONTREAL – Former Boise State and Colorado coach Dan Hawkins was hired to coach the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Hawkins succeeds Marc Trestman, who was hired as the Chicago Bears’ coach last month. Trestman led the Alouettes to Grey Cup titles in 2009 and 2010 and was the CFL’s coach of the year in 2009.

Hawkins never has coached in the CFL. He was 19-39 at Colorado and 53-11 at Boise State and has an overall coaching record of 112-61-1.

Cycling

Hamilton says he paid tens of thousands for blood

MADRID – Former U.S. cyclist Tyler Hamilton said he paid tens of thousands of dollars a year to the doctor at the heart of the Operation Puerto scandal.

Hamilton, the former University of Boulder ski racer, told Judge Julia Santamaria by video link that he used blood doping services about 15 times and also bought blood booster erythropoietin, testosterone, growth hormone and insulin from defendant Eufemiano Fuentes.

Hamilton said he paid $33,000 to $40,000 for the services in 2002 and 2003, then agreed to pay $67,000 for 2004, but he was not able to complete the treatment because he tested positive for receiving someone else’s blood in September 2004.

Olympics

Prosthetic legs on or off? The two sides disagree

PRETORIA, South Africa – Oscar Pistorius wept Tuesday as his defense lawyer read the athlete’s account of how he shot his girlfriend to death on Valentine’s Day, claiming he had mistaken her for an intruder.

Prosecutors, however, told a packed courtroom that the double-amputee known as the Blade Runner intentionally and mercilessly shot and killed 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp as she cowered inside a locked bathroom.

Pistorius told the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court at a bail hearing he felt vulnerable in the presence of an intruder inside the bathroom because he did not have his prosthetic legs on, then fired into the bathroom door.

A major point of contention emerged Tuesday’s bail hearing: Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Pistorius took the time to put on his prostheses, walked seven meters from the bed to the enclosed toilet inside his bathroom and only then opened fire.

Soccer

Goal-line technology will be used at 2014 World Cup

ZURICH – FIFA committed Tuesday to using goal-line technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and could have four systems competing for selection.